Abandoned
by musicalsarelife
Summary: A story from the musical Gypsy. Louise is visited by an old acquaintance, which leads her to think about her mother.


A story based on the musical Gypsy

A story based on the musical _Gypsy. _I do not in any way own _Gypsy._ Enjoy the story.

Abandoned

Louise sat at her vanity brushing her hair. It had gotten so much longer since she stopped dressing like a boy. In the dressing room there was one other chair besides the one in which she was sitting, a couch, and a closet where she kept her costumes. The dressing room was large enough to be appropriate for the star of the show. On the outside of the door hung a sign emblazoned with the words, "The Dressing Room of Miss Gypsy Rose Lee."

She had finished brushing her hair and was tying it into an elaborate twist when a knock came from the door.

"Come in." She called, expecting her mother.

She heard the door open and close. "Oh my God. It is you, Louise."

She turned around to see a tall, handsome man with dark hair. He wore a dark suit and was about her age. With surprise evident in her voice, "Tulsa," she addressed him, "It's so nice to see you. Please sit. Make yourself comfortable. Sorry, I need to finish getting ready."

Tulsa took in Louise at the vanity. Her brown hair was up out of the hideous, course braids she used to wear. A few delicate curls framed her face. For the first time that he had ever seen, she was wearing make-up. It warmed her face and highlighted her deep brown eyes. She was really a sight.

"My, mother will be here soon." Louise said, making small talk.

"Your…mom. Rose?" He said nervously.

"Yeah. Oh don't worry," she laughed, "Now that I'm a success, she'll probably forgive you for running off with June."

"Well, I um…"

"By the way, where is June? Oh my God, is she here?" Louise turned to Tulsa, excited at the prospect of seeing her little sister for the first time in years.

Tulsa stood up and began walking around the dressing room. "You know, it's kind of hard for me to think of you as Gypsy Rose Lee. You were always so shy. I never would have believed it, but seeing that poster of you outside the theatre…well, I was staring at it for the longest time. Then, I just had to come in and see if it really was you. It's still hard to believe."

Louise chuckled at herself, "I know, but Momma pushed me so hard." She ended her sentence a little wistfully, but with another laugh she continued, "But the funny thing is now I'm really enjoying myself."

"I'm glad." Tulsa walked over to her. "You really are beautiful, Louise." He reached out, softly touching one of her curls.

She batted his hand away. "Stop, Tulsa." Louise had always had a small crush on him when she was very young, but after he had eloped with her sister the attraction had ended.

She stood up and walked over to the couch, where her white gloves draped over one of the arms. She had just slipped them on, completing her lady-like costume, when Tulsa grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a kiss.

He ran his hand down her back, pressing her small frame against his. After the shock had worn off, Louise gathered the strength to push him away from her. "What the hell was that?" She had never liked swearing, but it seemed somewhat appropriate in this circumstance.

"Louise, you can't tell me that you don't have any feelings for me. I remember you were always keen on me. Weren't you?"

"Yes, but then you married and ran off with my sister, remember?"

"About that." He looked at the ground.

"Is June alright?" Louise said softly, filled with sudden concern for her sister.

"She's fine. But marrying her was a big mistake."

"What?!"

"We got married mostly out of convenience. We were going to have an act together. But, I guess she was more interested in leaving show business than I thought, and she doesn't want to the act anymore."

"Where is June?"

"Louis, I'm leaving June. I was hoping you'd take me back."

"Take you back!" Her voice rose with anger and disbelief, "We were never together to begin with! You never even noticed me, and now you're walking out on my sister!"

Tulsa approached her again and began to put his arms around her, "Look, Louise, I want…"

She cut him off, slapping him across the face. His hand went to his cheek. She grabbed the lapels of his suit with surprising strength from her white-gloved hands.

Holding him a few inches from her face, she began in a deathly harsh tone, "You know how my mother was."

He looked a little fearfully into eyes, now blazing with rage.

"Do you know why she was like that? Because she was…abandoned." Louise choked a little saying the word, thinking about when she had almost left her mother. "Abandoned by her mother, three husbands, a fiancée, and I'm not even going to mention what happened to her when you ran off with June." She finished barely whispering, her voice catching in her throat. She released Tulsa from her grasp and stepped back. "And, I'll be damned if I let you abandon June like that."

Growing a little defiant, Tulsa shot back, "You can't make me stay with her."

She looked down a moment before looking back into his eyes, "Maybe not, but don't think you're going to get anything from me." After a pause, "You should leave now, Tulsa."

"Louise…" He protested.

"Just go." She turned away from him, and did not move again until she heard the door open and close. She straightened out her dress and gloves and walked to the vanity, where she checked her hair and make-up.

The door opened again, and Louise turned to see her mother.

"Hey, baby." Rose greeted her daughter, "Funniest thing, I thought I just saw Tulsa outside, as I came in. I was trying to say something to him, but he ignored me."

"Tulsa? Maybe it was one of the stagehands. I think one of them looked a little like him." There was a momentary pause before Louise walked across the room and embraced her mother.

"Louise, are you alright?" Her mother was a little shocked by the abrupt display of affection.

"I'm fine. You know I love you, right, Momma?"

Rose laughed. "Thank you, but remember, you have a show to do. Are you ready?"

Louise chuckled slightly at her mother, always a businesswoman. "Yes."

"You should probably get out there, then." Rose sat down in the chair at the vanity. She had seen her daughter's strip tease enough and just wanted to relax.

"Okay." Louise walked to the door. "Momma? Want to get some Chinese after the show?"

"Sounds good." Rose nodded.

With a smile, Louise whispered, "Good," and walked out of the room to entertain her adoring fans.


End file.
